Michelle Brasure recalls little of past Presidents Days, except learning about Washington and Lincoln in grade school.

Artist Debby Spertus remembers coloring in stovepipe hats as a kid, but that's about it.

Graduate student Samantha Kray says she has virtually no memories of the holiday: "I just remember having the day off."

But Monday, they said, was extremely memorable — and meaningful. They joined hundreds of protesters in downtown Chicago to rally against President Donald Trump. Police at the event estimated about 800 protesters attended the rally.

"I'm doing something for my country, instead of just having the day off," Spertus said.

Buoyed by sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, the protesters chanted, "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Donald Trump has got to go"; took pictures of each other's homemade signs; and listened to speakers who assailed Trump, his Cabinet picks and his policies. In the background, across the Chicago River, loomed the 98-story Trump condo and hotel tower.

The protest was part of numerous "Not My Presidents Day" rallies in U.S. cities.

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"Donald Trump does not represent our values, and therefore we refuse to honor him on Presidents Day," local rally organizers wrote on their Facebook page. "He was elected by a minority of the American public but governs as if there's no resistance."

Many protesters said they had a variety of problems with Trump; several who were interviewed had trouble naming the issue that angered them the most. "It's hard to pick just one," said Kray, the graduate student.

Allison McCarthy, a teaching assistant in Evanston, said, "Every day it's something new." She ticked off her concerns: Racism. Immigration. Refugees. Women's rights.

Signs in the crowd reflected the range of issues: "Hands off our EPA." "Babes against bigotry." "Black lives matter." "I stand with Planned Parenthood."

One summed it up: "So many issues, so little sign." And this one yielded many laughs: "Pray for Sweden."

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Brasure came to the rally with her 15-year-old son, Oliver Bunzli, who carried a sign that said "Fake President." She said she is fearful what Trump might do next.

"I'm nostalgic for George W. Bush," Brasure said. "I never thought I would say that."

Oliver said he doesn't like Trump because "he acts so immature and is disrespectful to those who don't agree with him."

A 9-year-old girl held a sign reading, "My Grandma is a Muslim immigrant." Her mother, Melanie Turek, drew the block letters, and the girl, Sofia, colored them in.

Turek, a teacher from La Grange Park, said Sofia's grandmother is from Egypt. "It saddens me that the leader of our country is making a religion negative in people's minds."

She said she welcomed the opportunity to bring Sofia and her 5-year-old sister, Chloe, to the rally. "They will remember this more than Disneyland," she said.

Community organizer Michelle Hoppe Villegas said she came to the rally because Trump "is taking the country completely off the rails." She said she is particularly concerned about any ties Trump might have with Russia.

Friend Debby Spertus, the artist, said the rally helped make Presidents Day relevant. "It's an idea we can galvanize around and ask, 'What does the presidency mean?'"

sroe@chicagotribune.com

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